


At the Junction

by Cozmonaught



Category: Wizard101
Genre: Action/Adventure, Family Drama, Gen, Magic, Pre-Canon, Wizard City, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-18 22:30:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20199223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cozmonaught/pseuds/Cozmonaught
Summary: It was a calling -- an echo from the Great Tree that spilled throughout the universe."There's something more..." it appeared to say.Magic. Adventure. Intrigue. A whole new life. A chance to move on.For the upcoming students at Ravenwood, it all seemed too good to be true.But the past doesn't always go quietly.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> At the Junction is an epistolary story, meaning that it is told through a series of letters, newspaper articles, and journal entries. It follows a group of new students at Ravenwood School of Magical Arts before the arrival of the player-character. Facing obstacles both mental and physical, they struggle to adjust themselves to a world very different from their own whilst also discovering that perhaps not everything is so bright and beautiful in this world.
> 
> THIS STORY WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WIZARD101CENTRAL.

The dust has settled on the wings of the Dragon Titan. Dragonspyre lay a crumbled ruin on the edge of the Spiral; the great Wizard rivalry was no more. Obliterated by their own hubris, outsiders could only watch and pray that the death of one world would satiate the Beast. Those in Ravenwood, however, were quick to move.

Asserting itself as the foremost beacon of magic, Wizard City guided Mooshu, Krokotopia, and all the worlds toward a path of stability and peace under its hegemony. Harvests became plentiful bounties. Trade overflowed with wealth. And the arts composed numerous great works in the face of this newfound prosperity. Wizard City enjoyed a place at the epicenter of these expanding frontiers and countless others.

But that was some time ago...

The farmlands have worn down, the merchants have gone, and the artisans have been eclipsed. Meanwhile Ravenwood itself is embroiled in crisis. The Drakes, disgraced great minds of Dragonspyre, are hobbled by the mysterious sickness of one of their own, casting a dark shadow over the whole of Wizard City. Whispers of conspiracy and paranoia pervade the streets, with residents pointing fingers and lamenting a city that once was.

External forces also threaten the former Spiral Superpower. Long thought to be in decline, the mercantilist worlds of Monquista, Marleybone, and Valencia have experienced a resurgence in power, extending their influence abroad with little opposition. Pigswick, a new if more amiable rival, nips at the heels of the unchallenged arcane giant, as the Academy's students reach heights previously only thought attainable by those tutored under the leaves of the Grandfather Tree.

As an eager and fresh class arrives in Wizard City it is hard to deny that the wind of change is blowing through the Spiral.


	2. Lucy 1

From the journal of Lucy Clark:

1

_One step, two step, three step, four. From one world to another; beyond the door._

I looked back at the oaken wood that had once been my gatekeeper. Mum was through there. And Dad, I suppose. Though I suppose what I suppose about Marleybone is of little consequence now. Strange how taking a single step forward had led me to becoming more homesick than I ever had been before.

Mother had been more emotional than I had expected -- pressing herself close to me in that final hug. Perhaps she never truly believed I would take that last leap. I imagined her, back at home sobbing over a cup of cheap “Mooshu” tea from the penny shoppes while furiously nibbling on the stale gravy biscuits Mrs. Benjamin had brought over last week. Change never was kind to her.

But, in all honesty, I questioned my own motivations some days. What did I have to gain by going to Wizard City? Even now I continue to have my doubts.

The truth I had mulled over for some time. Marleybone, as fond of it as my heart is, was never meant for me. The city -- as it was -- had become a burden on my shoulders. The O’Leary gang and the rest were incidental, little annoyances in my reasoning.

On the contrary, it was the air. A poor job from a local street sweep perhaps, or a symptom of the smog that rolled out of those brick factory chimneys. Something about this air, rancid as it smelled as I walked between the brightly-lit shoppes, was wrong.

But wrong in what way?

It was a different kind of wrong. The kind of wrong that leads to staring out the window for hours at the withering community garden. Or involuntarily nodding after listening to another bout of gossip on Ms. Galaway’s romantic interests at the Sunday luncheon. Suddenly, and rather unexpectedly, the urging came to me. I craved something exciting, something daring, something new.

Thus, this revelation left a handful of options open for me. Celestia and Krokotopia never seemed to offer the craving I was looking for, whether my passion be for defense, engineering, or archaeology. No, those paths had been blazed some time ago and there was little headway to be made amongst us Marleybonians. Magic, however, was ever-growing, ever-expanding -- a discovery unlike any that had been described before just waiting around the corner. Thus, Wizard City was to be my destination.

Of course, even then Mum’s emotions had not the fortitude of a troll or a samoorai when it came to hearing of my epiphany. That night, I think, hurt both of us the most.

I can feel the tension deep within me as I write this, as if I was living that night over again. Yet, there is no one here to comfort me now, no one to lean on as the doubt eats away my insides.

What if I’m wrong? What if I would have been content apprenticing at a jeweler in Regent’s square? What if I had been there to support my mother when she so desperately needed it? What if that pungent odor I was smelling in the streets was nothing more than a leaky sewer or litter that lay strewn above the rooftops?

What if…?

Writing this all down seems silly now. Here I am, stashed away in this cramped dorm room feeling more lost than I ever did in the back alleyways of Chelsea Court. My suitcase half-opened with clothes, books, and photos of a different time spilled about the floor. Had I gone too far?


	3. Lucy 2

From the journal of Lucy Clark:

2

_ A brush of the hair and a well-powdered nose keeps the most deft of the dogs on their toes _

One would think that the first day away from home would be the hardest. I know I had thought that. It had been a constant smudge in my fantasies detailing magical adventures. Standing under the pooled lamplight of Regent's Square, I envisioned myself battling majestic dragons and dueling charming exchange students from Pigswick, even as I missed the roots of my childhood.

Suffice to say, I was correct about the feeling of longing, but such stately events were not to accompany that melancholy this morning.

The first day of orientation it was, bustling with the new class of Wizard City. It was a rather unimpressive lot; a couple sheep from Mooshu, a Mander here or there, and a sea of Humans from whatever world they came from. Not to mention Whosits and Whatsits from some plane or other whose name escapes me.

It was strange to be in a crowd and not know where to belong. Back home, the morning procedure in such a situation was henceforth: Smile, give a polite greeting, ask about the local goings-ons (even if the questioner knew well that no particular incident of importance was in-fact happening), followed by a brief and vague answer, before finishing with a dapper "Ta-Ta!"

You could learn so much in that quick exchange, as well I did from a tender age. How proper did they speak? What bits of gossip might they slip? And what about their clothes? Jewelry? Bracelets, rings, necklaces? Yes? No? Was their shirt pressed? Or was it wrinkled? How did Ms. Perry manage to afford that new pearl-studded brooch? And why was it that Mr. Hayworth was still wearing that same overcoat from last night? Questions to ponder over as the kettle boils. Questions to share when the tea is served...

But I digress. Socialites, these were not. These were students. I was one of them. I was a student.

"Politicking is going to be a hard habit to give-up," I thought.

And it was as I was mulling over this thought that the most clumsy of cranes -- at least I believe that is what they are called -- waddled through the crowd while shushing down the masses of hopefuls that had assembled.

"My name is Mr. Lincoln, and as the humble ambassador for new student arrivals I want to extend a very warm welcome..."

Pardon my forgetfulness, but the words thereafter blended much too finely to be digested with any degree of certainty after-the-fact. Flowery language but not convincing. Dapper composure but yearning to impress. Uptight posture but distinct lack of presence. Throw this bird into the high galas of Marleybone and even the most fledgling of hounds would make short work of him on the ballroom floor. Kicked to the curb, the street cats would soon get to him with their more... carnivorous tendencies.

Mr. Lincoln. A bureaucrat by any other name.

The pomp went on for some time: outlining the basic responsibilities of the student; the layout of the surrounding city and streets; and encouraging us to meet with the professors, veteran students, and any staff we could get a hold of. It was the expected bits of formality that one would expect at such a gathering.

"You have a week," I recall him saying amidst the waffle, "You have a week until your primary school focus must be chosen. Then your studies will begin!"


	4. Alina 1

From the diary of Alina Aliyev:

1

Sebastian talked to me today for the first time since arriving in Wizard City. I guess that's an improvement.

"What are we supposed to be doing?"

"I don't know. I think there is supposed to be a speaker or something," I said. He snorted a bit, but managed to hold close to me even with the crowd being as crazy as it was.

The central area of Ravenwood was absolutely packed with the freshman class. Some strange looking lizardmen uncomfortably fiddled with their fingers on one side. A mutant canine was adjusting her clothes not too far away. And, stranger still, a pack of human adolescents squealed together in the corner over a round of gossip. The last of those, while familiar, was the strangest to have seen given that we were in such a strange place.

"Oh my goodness, have you seen the new death student-teacher?" asked one girl.

"Ugh, you are so obsessed with looks," said a second.

"Hmm, what can I say?" went the first.

"I heard his voice is adorable!" chimed a third.

"Have you even talked to him yet?" came another.

"Where do you think I'm going after this?" the first laughed. That one got a few snickers out of all of them.

I was so focused on eavesdropping that I bumped into a stocky thing lumbering through the sea of people. It turned to look at me, with its absent red eyes and pale green complexion. A troll! Wearing torn leathers and a single ripped-up shoe on its right foot. I lurched back, shocked. It was then that the smell got to me. It was a body odor, I guessed, but a body odor that moved between smelling like the decaying corpse of an animal and the raw sewage that leaks out of badly secured pipes.

I bowed my head slightly, which seemed to ease him. And, by the time I had looked up, he had begun to grumpily stumble away.

"What strange things Wizard City has. I'm telling you, if Mom or Dad could have seen this place..." My stomach dropped. And there it was. Somewhere between playing pinball between the masses and overhearing the preteen chatter I had forgotten.

Mom would have been eager to take-in the new sights. "Come on you two, there are so many people and things to enjoy," I could almost hear her telling us while embracing the troll in apology. A hug was, of course, the preferred way to apologize at all times, even if her sensitive nose would have gotten in the way of being too friendly.

Durian, she had said, was the absolute worst thing she had ever smelled in her lifetime. Was that what that troll smelled like? I never have found out what exactly a durian is, but maybe that was the stink that the troll carried. Maybe he just smelled of durian.

And Dad, gosh, I don't know. Stoic probably. Though, a whole new world away from our own might have changed that view. It would have been nice to see Mom's excitedness rub-off on him every now and then, and maybe Wizard City would have been just the place to have seen that happen. I was told by Uncle Paul once that he used to be better. Even Mom-level better. I never did see it though.

I heard Sebastian let out a small sigh of relief as the threat of being made troll stew disappeared within the ocean of beings around us.

But he also reminded me. Sebastian always reminded me of why Mom and Dad weren't here. And I liked not forgetting. Not because I don't want to. But because I know that no matter how hard I try to get rid of it, I will always remember why things are the way they are. And remembering after you believe you've forgotten... that's the hardest part. Standing there with him in Ravenwood I had swallowed hard, determined not to let the bubbling emotions be shown.

But now I am alone. Alone in my room. Do I still have that determination?

No. No, I think.

No I don't.


	5. Sebastian 1

From the chronicles of Sebastian the Great:  
  
  
1  
  
We walked around some of the classrooms today. A couple of students came out to meet us with the teacher.  
  
We went to the Storm classroom first and got to meet the teacher who is actually a talking frog in fancy clothes. He told us about how Storm was a powerful magic that was more than just making it rain outside sometimes.  
  
Then we went to the Ice classroom where we met an ice fairy lady. She was very nice to us and said that ice was about winter and freezing things. I already knew that but I don't think I like the sound of that very much. I like summer and hot better.  
  
Then we went to the fire school! FIRE! That's what I want to study! The fire teacher came out and waved her wand. Then there were big huge fireballs. Really big ones. And out of all of that came a giant bird!  
  
"This here is a Feenix," the fire teacher said. It made me smile alot. One day I will be able to do that to. I hope we will get to pick our study school soon.  
  
There are smaller talking trees too which is weird because we didnt used to have those. There was one for each classroom and they all were pretty friendly to.  
  
So that is what we did today. They said we could see other classrooms tomorrow but I know what I want to study already.


End file.
